


Wish Upon a Star

by BigDickFlex



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Maki the tsundere, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-03-27 19:48:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13887915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigDickFlex/pseuds/BigDickFlex
Summary: Rin enjoys her college life. Go to class, hang out, and go home. An ordinary day for her. However, her daily life is completely shattered when she (quite literally) runs into the most famously strict student in the school. Who happens to be her new roommate! With their clashing ideals, how will Rin survive her student life?





	1. A Normal Day for Rin Hoshizora

**Author's Note:**

> My first ever Muse-only story! I'm really excited to write more Muse, and I hope you can forgive me for having no idea how college works.

The campus was covered in snow. In the early morning, despite that, students were heading for class. Christmas was over and exams were coming up, so most students were on edge. Getting to class early was something most people did, and top students studied nearly everyday.Though as exams grew closer, more students would fill the library. 

While the rest of the school busily got ready for the day, Rin slept soundly on her bed. Blanket on the floor, she scratched her stomach, stirring slightly.

"Ugh..." 

She opened her eyes slowly, shivering from the cold. Sitting up, Rin yawned, looking out the window. Squinting, she averted her eyes. It was too bright. 

"Wait..." She was wide awake now. Looking at her clock, Rin's eyes widened and she grabbed it. 

"Oh no....." She was late. Like a scene straight out of an anime, Rin scrambled to grab her phone, effectively falling out of her bed. Shivering again, she sprints for the shower. Throwing off her shorts and shirt, she quickly hopped in the shower, before just as quickly jumping out. 

"Oh man, I'm gonna be late!" 

Rin brushed her now long hair, wincing. She would have to get it cut soon. There was just never had time for a haircut. Well, also because she never felt like it.

Pulling on a pair of jeans and a coat, Rin grabbed her bag and leapt out the door. 

"Good morning Hoshizora-san! Late again?" Sprinting past an acquaintance she stuck her tongue out and continued running. Hopefully she would make it today. "Ah, my hands are numb." She didn't have any gloves, and Hanayo constantly commented on how she would get sick one of these days.

Rin had shrugged her off, but she was really wishing she had gloves now. Making it inside the building she sighed in relief, continuing to sprint past passing students. There were less people in the hallways considering that the bell was about to ring, so she began to relax. At this rate, she'd make it to class in no ti-

"...!"

"Wah?!"

Was this actually an anime? Sprinting around the corner, Rin ran straight into someone. Considering that she was fairly built, Rin (now this sounds way worse than you think) completely bulldozed the girl. She stopped, looking down at the girl that she ran over. 

Oh crap. She was going to be late. 

I mean, "Are you okay?" Rin ran up to the girl, extending her hand. "Ouch..." The girl rubbed her back, groaning in pain. Grabbing Rin's hand, she stood up, and instead of thanking her, she glared.

"You need to watch where you're going. Someone could've gotten really hurt." Rin gulped as the girl's glare pierced her. Now that they were face to face, the girl's purple eyes were frightening, and Rin noticed her unusual red hair. Was that its natural color?

"S-Sorry...." 

She glanced at her phone, her eyes widening. She was really going to be late at this rate. However, the girl had other ideas. "I have somewhere to be, and I can't get injured. What if I did?" She put her hands on her hips, chastising Rin for her genuine mistake.

"Um, sorry, but I have class. I-I'll pay you back later, honesty." Rin brushed a stray hair back nervously. Hopefully, she could get this over with quickly. Once again, the girl glared at her. "Hey, you can't hold this off!" Could this girl get any angrier? Rin sighed. "Hey I think you dropped something." The girl looked down and Rin ran around her, sprinting towards her classroom. "Hey!" Hearing the girl's voice behind her, she internally apologized to her.

If she ever saw her again, she'd probably pay her back. Probably. 

Sitting in her seat just as the bell rang, Rin sighed in relief, putting her head down. "You were late again, Rin-chan." Hanayo already sat in her seat next to her, leaning forward with worry. "How many times does that make?" 

Rin shrugged, her closing her eyes as class started. It was her least favorite subject, math. "I don't know, I lost count. Besides, at least I make it on time." Hanayo frowned, knowing that Rin wasn't paying attention. "One day, you might get in trouble." 

Rin laughed numbly. "That's ironic."

Hanayo's eyes widened, and her voice came down to a whisper, even more so than usual. "Did something happen?" Rin sat up, scratching her head. "Well, I accidentally ran into a girl. Literally." Rin avoided eye contact, pretending to write notes. Hanayo nearly slammed her hands on the desk, instead choosing to get close to her.

"What?! Who was it?" She drew closer, demanding an answer.

Rin waved her off, deciding to try and balance her pencil on her finger. "Eh, just some mean girl with red hair." Hanayo frowned. There weren't many people with red hair at this school. And if there was, there was one person she could think of. And it was the person she'd rather not think of. 

"What color were her eyes, Rin-chan?" Hanayo had a sinking feeling as her best friend began to think. "Hmm, I don't think I could forget her purple eyes. If she wasn't so angry, she'd look cute." Rin pouted, scribbling cats in her notebook.

"What?!"

Hanayo stood up, slamming her hands on the desk. The room got silent, their professor giving her a glare. She quickly covered her mouth, murmuring an apology as she sat down. "Rin-chan!" She exclaimed in a much quieter voice. "You're going to be in so much trouble..." Rin, still giggling from Hanayo's interruption of class, tilted her head. 

"What do you mean?"

Hanayo's eyes lit up, and she began to fiercely explain. "That was Maki Nishikino! She's one of the most well known people at this school!" 

"W-What's she so famous for?" Rin was always slightly frightened when her best friend got into explaining something. Hanayo shook her head, a look of despair evident. "She's the most evil person in this school. Word is that she rejects every guy that ever asks her out. Without hesitation!" 

That didn't really mean much right? 

Rin leaned back, playing with her hair as she thought. "I mean, couldn't this Nishikino-san be, I don't know, gay?" Hanayo started to speak, fixing her glasses as she did. "That's..." She seemed to deflate. "..a good point actually. Why didn't I think of that?" 

"W-Well maybe she just doesn't like the guys that ask her out." Rin said in an attempt to reassure her.

However, the damage was already done, and Hanayo nodded halfheartedly. She was always a theorist of sorts, and when she didn't see a possibility that others pointed out, she usually got depressed. Rin reached across the desk, grabbing her friend's notes. 

"Hey don't worry about it, it's just another thing for you to think about." Rin commented, concentrating on copying equations. 

This seemed to snap her out of it, and Hanayo shook her head, remembering why she brought it up in the first place. "The point is, she's famous for a reason. Who knows what she'll do to you now that you've angered her!"

Rin sighed, finishing her notes and passing them back. 

"Look, I apologized, what more could she ask for? It's not like I just ran into her and sprinted off." Well, not exactly. Hanayo nodded, still adamant about her situation. There were a lot of rumors, but if she apologized then it was fine. 

"Well, if you say so."

Rin nodded matter-of-factly, spinning her pencil around dramatically. "Of course! It's not like I'll see her again. It's a big campus."

The rest of class flew by, and before she knew it, it was the end of the day. 

Being Rin's favorite part of her life, she excitedly leapt out of the classroom, ready to go to her favorite ramen place. Humming happily, she threw open the outside door and immediately slipped on the icy sidewalk.

"Wh-Whoa!" 

Thankfully, with her amazing sense of balance, Rin managed not to crash to the ground. Shivering in the icy wind, she looked around campus to see that the snowfall had only gotten worse.

"At this rate, I won't be able to even get there...." Rin's mood plummeted, and she slowly trudged back to the dorms.

Sure she had a ton of cup noodles in her room, but nothing could substitute the amazingness of her favorite restaurant. Making her way into the building, Rin was stopped by a teacher. 

"Excuse me, Hoshizora-san can I talk to you for a second?"

Rin nodded, confused and slightly frightened. Remembering Hanayo's words, she gulped. However, what she was told was far from what she thought was going to happen.

"A-A roommate?!" Rin exclaimed in disbelief.

The teacher nodded. "You still have space in your dorm room right? If I'm correct, you were the only person without a roommate." 

"Y-Yeah, but...."

Rin trailed off. Since she had a whole room to herself, she had made a huge mess of it. Of course she had no problem with sharing, she just needed time to clean up. "W-When are they going to move in?" Rin, twisted her hair around her finger nervously. She didn't want anyone to see how messy her room was.

However, the teacher's apologetic smile told her all she needed to know. 

"I'm sorry, but I'm told that she needs to move in today." 

Rin's face twitched, and her hands began to sweat. "A-Are they already at my room?" Rin Hoshizora didn't worry much, but every once in a while there was something that would make her break out in a sweat. This was one of those moments. 

"Yes, she should be there now..." 

Rin didn't stay to hear the rest. Sprinting past the teacher, she quickly thanked her and leapt up the stairs. Hopefully, whoever was her new roommate didn't mind the mess too much. Or maybe she didn't even go into the room yet. Yeah that sounds nice. 

Going up the stairs two at a time, Rin reached the second floor and stopped to catch her breath. Her room was at the top of the stairs, so unless anyone closed the door, it'd be obvious if her roommate was already in the room. And as it turned out, no one was there.

Rin sighed in relief, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She unlocked the door and walked in. She would have a little time to clean up at least. 

"....What a mess." 

As she walked into the room, Rin froze as she recognized the annoyed voice coming from her living room. Recalling something she had said to Hanayo, Rin felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.

The girl noticed her, turning to see who had entered. Upon finally seeing her roommate clearly, Rin's worst fears were confirmed. 

Today, Rin was late for class. She had accidentally run into the angriest girl in existence. Her favorite ramen shop had closed for the month, and she had been told that she would have a new roommate.

A roommate who just so happened to be Maki Nishikino, the person she had ran into earlier in the day.

Yeah, just a normal day for Rin.

Chapter 1, Fin.


	2. A Recollection of Recent Events

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really shit posty. Or is it shit post-ish? Anyway, it has the really stupid stuff I put in shit post while also actually being a real chapter. Enjoy(?).

"Uhhh, I think you have the wrong room." 

Rin stared at the girl in her living room, trying her hardest to deny what was happening. Narrowing her purple eyes in confusion, the girl, Maki, shook her head. "Aren't you Rin Hoshizora?" 

Rin began sweating. It didn't feel like winter anymore.

"N-Nope. I'm uhhh....."

Quickly scanning the room for something that kind of resembled a name, Rin blurted out. "Hideo Kojima!" That was stupid. If she had said a household object it probably would've been more believable. However, Rin still tried to roll with it.

"I-It's a pretty common name in America, ha ha...." 

Maki glared at her, and Rin scratched her head, avoiding her gaze.

As if realizing that Rin would probably keep making random stuff up, Maki sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. 

"Forget it, I'll go unpack my stuff." 

Maki began walking to one of the spare rooms, but looked back at Rin one more time with a glare that could kill ten million grown men.

Leaving Rin with that chilling death glare, Maki left to unpack her belongings. When she finally left, the ginger exhaled, fanning herself. Was it hot in here?

Rin sighed and made her way into the kitchen. Well, not before opening a window. She began making a quick cup of ramen, constantly thinking about her failure. 

At least Maki didn't do anything to her. Rin thought, trying to find something positive about her situation. Though that was probably because the girl was tired from all the moving, she presumed.

As her ramen cooked, she attempted to clean up the living room, trying to make it look at least presentable. 

Rin took her cup of ramen, leaving a note outside of her roommates door. She had wanted to say something, but thought it better to give her some space.

Instead, she walked out her room and across the hall, knocking on a door. 

"Coming! I think it's Rin-chan...." 

Immediately, Rin heard an energetic voice and sighed in relief. She needed something to distract her. The door swung open, revealing a mess of orange hair. 

"Ah, Rin-chan! Come in!" 

The girl's hair wasn't properly tied and she was wrapped in a blanket. Had she stayed home all day? Rin wondered, noticing that she was in pajamas. 

"Honoka! You have work to finish!" 

A deep and threatening voice emanated from the room within, scolding her. Honoka flinched, waving for Rin to enter with a sheepish smile.

"Umi-chan's here to help me study." She whispered, sulking back into the room. Rin chuckled, entering and closing the door. 

"Hello, Rin-chan."

As she walked into the ginger's room, another girl greeted. A girl who looked much more tired than Honoka. Understandably so. 

Papers were scattered all over a table in the middle of the room, and Rin noticed that zeros covered most of them. 

"Rin-chan, do you wanna play a game?!"

Honoka beckoned her over, pointing at her new Nintendo Switch (not sponsored) that she had recently gotten for Christmas. This was probably why she was falling so far behind in her work, Rin figured. 

Before she could say anything, Umi coughed, causing Honoka to freeze in place. 

"Honoka, you won't be able to play until you finish the work you've missed." 

"Aww, but that's like fifteen sheets!"

"And who's fault is that?"

"Hmph!"

Rin sat herself down in front of the tv, grinning as she listened to the two friends bicker. Digging into her food, she felt as if her day had just become a bit better. 

Only a few minutes into playing Breath of the Wild (not sponsored), Rin heard Honoka sigh, along with a dull thud. 

"I can't do this anymore..." Honoka complained. 

Rin could feel Umi glare despite not being the intended target.

"Honoka, we just started. You're going to drop out at this rate! Tell her, Rin!" 

Pausing the game, Rin turned around, grinning. "I'm surprised she hasn't dropped out already." 

Umi looked at her in disbelief, and Honoka puffed her cheeks. 

"Hey, I have you know, I can be smart sometimes!" The ginger declared, standing up confidently. 

The other two looked at each other blankly, saying nothing. Rin wasn't an honors student in any way at all, but Honoka.... 

Sensing that they didn't believe her, Honoka coughed, plopping herself next to Rin by the tv. "Anyway, I heard that you got a new roommate! You won't be able to keep your room a complete mess now!"

Rin frowned, turning back to her game. 

"Even worse is that she's really strict. And she has a grudge against me!" She complained. 

"What did you do to get on her bad side?" Hearing Umi's voice behind her, Rin glared at the tv screen. Just thinking about it made her mad. 

"I just knocked her over in the hallway! Plus, I apologized, so why does she still hate me?"

Rin paused her game again to look at Umi, hoping to get her professional opinion on her problem.

Umi didn't look up from the papers she was working on, casually giving Rin a detailed explanation.

"Well, first impressions are important, and they do have an impact on relationships. Maybe you should just try to make up? It's still the first day, so you have a lot of time to spend together." 

Hearing that, Rin couldn't help but to agree. Still, she was the type to want to get things done quickly. 

"Maybe she's being a tsundere!" Honoka shouted from the kitchen, where she had wandered off to during the conversation.

Umi sighed, looking like she was going to explode. Rin mouthed an apology to her. After all, it was kind of her fault for interrupting their study session.

"What do you mean?"

Rin switched off the Switch (get it?) and was grabbing manga off the bookshelf, flipping through the ones that interested her. 

"Maybe she kind of likes you, but has already established herself as the mean character making it so when she actually tries to be nice, it seems out of character for her."

"Well, she's only been pure tsun to me."

"That's how all tsunderes start!"

Umi looked utterly lost, but Rin closed her eyes and nodded. She could see that being possible. 

"Um, what?" 

Umi voiced her concerns, forgetting all about her homework. 

Rin tried to explain it in simple terms.

"She thinks that Nishikino-san is too embarrassed to apologize for her attitude."

Hearing that, the bluenette nodded, considering the possibility. 

"I suppose that sounds right..."

Suddenly realizing that the papers in front of her weren't doing themselves, Umi stood up and marched towards the kitchen. 

"Ah, Umi-chan, do you want some bread?"

Rin heard a thud.

"Oww, Umi-chan that hurt!"

"Honoka, you have work to do if I'm not mistaken." 

They entered the room again, sitting down at the table, Honoka with a noticeably large bump on her head.

Rin chuckled, looking at the time on her phone. "I guess I'll leave now. My roommate will probably need to know the dorm rules and stuff."

She was sad to have to leave the incredible, amazing, and only 299$ Nintendo Switch (not sponsored), but she would have to go eventually anyway. She could at least try and befriend her redhead roommate. Plus, she didn't want Maki to mess up anything in her room.

What? She had some valuable things.

Umi nodded and Honoka waved, tears still in her eyes. 

Rin walked out into the hall, sighing as she stared at the door to her room. Was she prepared for this? Did the dorm rooms allow murder? Just Maki's glare alone would have the power to instantly kill someone, so was anyone safe? She always glared...

Rin frowned. Actually, maybe it was the opposite. Maybe if Maki smiled, the whole world would explode. Thinking about it like that made the redhead seem like some kind of hero for always glaring. That didn't make her seem so bad.

Wait. What if she was cursed to never smile? And if she ever tries to mention it, her glare would only get more and more intense? That would make for a good book. Well, a children's book maybe. Actually, that'd be a terrible idea, scratch that.

Okay, now Rin kind of felt bad for her.

"Hoshizora?"

Rin froze, realizing that she had been thinking about something totally unimportant. Furthermore, she hadn't even realized that Maki had opened the door.

"N-Nishikino-san?!"

She recoiled, not prepared for this sudden encounter. Geez, at least give her time to prepare!

Unexpectedly, Maki looked down at her feet and mumbled something.

".....Sorry."

"W-What was that?"

Maki's face turned red, and she glared at her halfheartedly. Or, apologetically? Can you glare apologetically?

"I said I'm sorry! I know I was being a little mean today. I was just tired from the trip is all!"

Rin couldn't believe her ears or her eyes. Maki Nishikino was blushing. And apologizing to her. Was Honoka right all along? Was there some dere in her?

"Yeah, you were mean."

However, and she didn't mean for it to sound so rude, Rin replied in a way that immediately ruined everything. She was just trying to lighten the mood!

Maki's glare suddenly became ten times more angry. 

"What does that mean?!"

Realizing how terrible, and partially true, that statement was, Rin waved her hands innocently. 

"I-I was just saying that you could've been a little nicer! I mean you were being kind of..."

Rin trailed off and Maki stepped forward, jabbing a finger to her chest. 

"Well, it's your fault for being so careless and running into to people without apologizing! You should be the apologizing, not me!"

Rin felt a surge of anger. 

"Well, maybe-"

"Can you guys please be quiet?"

Their argument was interrupted by Umi, who had stuck her head out of her room and was currently frowning at them.

"I understand that you hate each other, but can this wait? We have a test tomorrow, and Honoka still has six sheets of homework to do."

She didn't wait for an answer, closing the door and leaving the two to stand there in shock.

After a moment, they glared at each other once more and stormed back inside. 

Rin marched into her room, sitting down on her bed angrily.

"Honoka-chan couldn't have been more wrong...."

There was nothing dere about Maki.


	3. Being Popular is Tough

"How can I show myself off if it's always snowing?!"

Nico slammed her hands on the table, glaring out the window. 

She had recently gotten a new skirt that was extremely cute. Its beauty could only compare to Nico. ONLY NICO.

It wasn't ideal for winter, but Kotori had given it to her for Christmas and the younger girl had a good fashion sense. It was the perfect chance ruined by the extreme cold. If it wasn't snowing she could at least tolerate it...

"Nico-chan, you should calm down a little, I'm sure you'll have time to wear it later." Kotori said, placing plates of food down on the table. 

Nico sighed and began to halfheartedly eat her curry. She could never stay mad with the younger girl around. It was bad for her health. 

"Plus, I couldn't concentrate on my project yesterday because all I heard was shouting." Nico mumbled grumpily, twirling her fork. 

Kotori chuckled, she was used to her upperclassman's complaining. Well, that's what Nico thought at least. Kotori hadn't said otherwise, so she figured that it was fine every once in a while.

She just needed to vent sometimes.

Nico had once offered to lend an ear to Kotori, but the girl had refused politely, saying that her problems were her problems. 

Not that she needed it. Nico figured that the carefree girl had nothing to worry about. 

She had good grades, a lot of friends, and she was in multiple clubs. You would think she would ask for help one of these days, but she never did.

Of course, Nico was popular too.

Sure she didn't have the best grades, but she had some friends. Plus, she was in some of the same clubs Kotori was in. People just happened to ask the younger girl for advice more often. 

Right from the beginning, Nico had promised herself that she would become more popular than Kotori. 

They weren't friends, they were fated rivals.

"Nico-chan, do you want some tea?"

"Ah, yeah, thanks."

Kotori was an extremely friendly, nice, cute and easygoing rival. It was really hard to take it seriously, damn it. 

Finishing up her breakfast, Nico begrudgingly thanked her roommate and got ready for class. 

Stepping out into the hall, she puffed her chest proudly. Even if she didn't wear her cute skirt, she would still catch the attention of everyone. Today would be the day.

She'd have to get to class first. Why? Because she was never late and it would ruin her reputation if she was. Nico knew a certain someone who was almost always late...

"Ah, Nico-chan! You're early!"

Speak of the devil. 

Feeling someone hug her with the force of a thousand rhinos, Nico turned in surprise. Seeing who it was, she raised an eyebrow to see the energetic ginger joined by a grouchy looking redhead. 

"Rin? Is that really, honestly you? I'm not just dreaming?"

Rin pulled back, looking convincingly insulted. Nico smirked in amusement, satisfied with the reaction she got. 

"Is it really that unbelievable that I can get to class early?"

Rin's companion, the redhead, coughed. 

"Probably, considering that you were so late yesterday that you ran into me without apologizing," she said with her own self-satisfied smirk.

Unlike her reaction to Nico's comment, Rin look genuinely angry. Now this was something Nico didn't see everyday.

"Do you have to bring that up every time I talk to someone?! I apologized already, you're the one with the permanent glare!"

And true to Rin's word, the grouchy girl's expression immediately turned into a glare, and sparks crackled between the two. 

Nico would've loved to stay there and watch the two argue for a while, but she had a class to get to. 

"Well, are you guys coming or not?" She asked, walking past the two. 

The two complied, each with a little "hmph" as they looked away from each other, following the older girl.

Nico would've asked what the problem was between them, considering that she had never seen Rin angry at anyone, but she didn't feel like it. Nor did she care enough to ask.

"Is this the new roommate I've heard so much about?" Nico whispered, slowing down so Rin could catch up. 

The redhead had wandered away from the two, looking at all of the facilities that the dorm had. 

"Yeah, that's Maki-san."

Rin made a face at the mention of her.

"Well that's interesting...."

Nico looked between the two girls. Usually, Rin would be quick to refer to someone casually. After all, she wanted to be friends with everyone.

I mean, unlike Nico, who was already the most popular person on the planet.

Shrugging her shoulders, she decided that it wasn't too important. As they made their way into the building, Nico waved goodbye to the two others, who didn't look too happy about being alone.

She walked into class, a wide smile on her face. What a diligent student she was. 

Her smile quickly faded as she caught sight of someone familiar. 

A blonde beauty sat at a desk, working away. One look at her told everyone that she was a foreigner. One look also told how popular she was. 

However, unlike the rest of the school, Nico saw her as a rival. 

"Eli..." Nico growled. She should've known that the witch would've been here first. 

The blonde turned, her expression dark, and just the pure definition of evil. Her mouth turned upward into a cold sneer, and finally she opened her mouth.

"Good morning, Nico-chan. You're early today." 

Eli put down her pencil and waved, a welcoming and calm smile spread across her face. 

"Hmph, I don't need to hear that from you. I'm always early." Nico crossed her arms, glaring at the blonde. 

Seeming unaffected, Eli gave her a puzzled look. "Really? I'm usually in here fairly early and I haven't seen you around."

"Geh." 

Nico looked away, her face a bright shade of red. To tell the truth, she hadn't been to class early in at least a few weeks. But of course, she wasn't going to say that out loud.

"Well maybe you just weren't paying attention!" 

"...?"

Eli smiled, but her face seem to say, "that seems very unlikely, but go off I guess."

The silence that followed made Nico very uncomfortable. Thankfully, more people trickled in, and Nico stealthily made her way to her desk. 

Though she was blushing furiously the whole way.

Class was uneventful, and Nico silently plotted her revenge against Eli. 

Marching up to the blonde's desk, Nico smiled smugly. "Hey, Eli, that's a lot of work you have there." 

And it was true.

Papers were stacked in a pile nearly as tall as Maki (get it? Pile? Maki? Okay I'll stop), and Eli seemed to be contemplating how to carry them all. 

The blonde smiled innocently at her. 

"Yes, it's quite a bit. I have to take them to the science teacher. Though you don't have to worry about me. I'm sure I can figure it out myself." 

Nico was about to stand there and just watch Eli struggle, but as her classmate began to carry the stack, she felt her face twitch.

No. No way. You're not going to help. Eli said she could take care of it herself. Plus, didn't you want to see her struggle? I won't help, I won't help, I won't-

Literally less than a minute later Nico was walking down the hall with a stack much too large for her to carry. 

"Goddamn it!!" Nico growled. Before she knew it, she had snatched half the stack of papers off of Eli's desk, marching out.

It wasn't like she wanted to help. Nico just thought that it would make her more popular if she did. That was all. Nothing else.

Before she could deny it any longer, Nico heard something. 

Stopping, she looked around in confusion. The hallway was fairly quiet, save for what sounded like music. Was it coming from the dance room?

Nico frowned. But that was impossible. The dance room was supposed to be off limits for the winter. After all, it had no heating, so it would most likely be freezing.

Curious, Nico made her way down the hall. The dance room was on the way to the science lab, so it wasn't like she was going out of her way. 

As she made her was, the volume increased. When she arrived at the door, it was almost blasting. 

Nico looked around the hallway. No one else was around, so it wouldn't hurt to take a peek, right?

Little did she know...

Looking inside, Nico saw something that rendered her speechless. 

An angel. A beautiful woman with long purple hair was inside. She was dancing gracefully, making it seem like she had been doing it her whole life. 

Nico had once seen Eli perform a dance at a school event. Admittedly, it was incredible, but for some reason this was different.

Not only was the woman's dancing graceful, she was more beautiful than anyone Nico had ever seen. 

Yes, even herself.

Of course, the fact that the woman was well-endowed kind of ticked her off, but it was still a sight to behold.

Before she knew it, the music had stopped, and the woman was wiping sweat from her forehead. She had bent over to pick up her phone.

Maybe she bent over a little too much.

"HmmMM?!" 

Nico began to lean forward. She wasn't being a pervert or anything. She was just curious. Just a little. 

For a brief moment, Nico forgot that she was carrying tons of papers. And ultimately, due to her being a pervert, the brave Nico-chan fell.

And dropped herself and all of the papers on the floor. 

"Ouch..."

Wasn't this just great?

"Are you okay?"

Huh?

The woman that she had been previously watching was right in front of her face.

"AHHH!"

Nico scrambled back, her face red and mind a mess.

"Uh, I'm perfectly fine, yep. That just hurt a little bit. Well, uh, a lotta bit." Nico attempted to word, but failed.

Realizing that she was making an ass out of herself, Nico coughed and stood up. 

"Sorry, I was just passing by and tripped." She said nonchalantly, trying to ignore her blunder just then. 

The woman smiled, and Nico swore she saw a brief glimpse of amusement. 

"It's fine, it's fine. I'll help ya out," She said, crouching down to pick up the papers. Nico nodded gratefully, albeit uncomfortably. She embarrassed herself completely.

When they had finally gathered the papers, Nico bowed again.

"T-Thanks. Sorry for troubling you." 

The woman grinned and chuckled. "You know, you're a lot funnier than they say, Nico-chi."

"Huh? H-How do you know my name?" 

She was pretty sure they never had any classes together. 

Nico must've made a weird face, because the woman chuckled again. 

"You're pretty popular, ya know?"

Nico felt a brief sense of euphoria. She was finally recognized as being popular.

"Nico-chan?"

Before she could thank god any longer, they were interrupted by a certain Eli, who was carrying a stack of papers similar to Nico's.

"Geh." Nico looked away from the blonde with a hmph. She didn't want her rival to know about how she embarrassed herself earlier. Hopefully, this pretty woman wouldn't say anything.

"Huh...? Nozomi? Is that you?"

What?

Eli had looked past Nico, instead waving at the woman behind her. 

Nico's jaw dropped. How? How did Eli know this woman? No, it was impossible. How would Eli of all people-

"Hey, Eli-chi. It's been a while." 

However, betraying Nico's expectations, the woman (Nozomi, was it?) grinned and waved back. And of course, Nico stared at her like she had been stabbed in the chest.

"It is you! What are doing here, Nozomi?" Eli asked, walking past Nico's frozen form.

Nozomi shrugged, and the two began talking like old pals who hadn't seen each other since grade school. Finally snapping out of her daze, Nico realized that Eli had once again surpassed her.

Fuck.

Nico walked up to Eli, snatching the papers she had out of her hands. 

"If you're just going to stand there give this shit to me," She growled, adding the papers to her own stack (with some trouble). 

"Ah, Nico-chan, I can take those-" Eli began to call out, but Nico had already marched off. She didn't want to listen to their conversation any longer.

By the time Nico had walked far enough so she couldn't see nor hear the two, the papers were threatening to fall once more. It was a miracle that she had gotten this far, considering she couldn't see anything in front of her.

"Goddamn Eli and that big boobed witch. 'Aww it's been so long how have you been?' Makes me sick..." Nico muttered to herself, glaring at the stack of papers hindering her.

Eli had all the friends and connections. Eli could get free drinks at bars. All Nico got was sympathy and laughter. She was treated like a child. Nothing had changed from high school.

Reaching the door to the science lab, Nico stood for a moment, staring at her feet. 

Suddenly, she felt a wet sensation on her face. 

"What the fuck?" Nico's voice sounded choked, and she cursed angrily. "Am I crying? Real fucking mature of me...."

Realizing that she couldn't open the door nor wipe her tears, Nico continued to stand and sob silently. It was pitiful, and Nico knew that. 

Suddenly, the door had opened. 

Looking to her right in surprise, a smile greeted her. A smile belonging to someone she had just recently met. 

"Need a little help?" Nozomi asked, grabbing some of the stack out of her hands anyway. 

"I-" Nico started, before quickly looking away. Her voice was still hoarse from crying, and Nozomi either didn't notice or was just ignoring it. 

The two walked inside the lab, and Nico was finally able to use her hands. Putting down the papers, Nico quickly looked away and wiped her face with the sleeves of her shirt.

Nozomi put her stack down as well, and for a moment she stared at the other girl.

Nico ignore her gaze, biting her lip and looking at the ground. She completely embarrassed herself in front of the same person twice in the same day. Not only that, but she had cried just because no one liked her. This was the epitome of being a loser.

"If you're going to laugh, go ahead." Nico murmured, her hoarse voice clear in the silent room. As if expecting that, Nozomi shook her head.

"I think I'm okay. After all, for all I know something terrible might've happened to you. And who would I be to laugh?" 

Nico looked up, surprised to see a serious expression on Nozomi. That expression quickly changed, instead turning into a gentle smile. 

"I don't know what's wrong, but I didn't tell Eli-chi about what happened." She said wth the same understanding smile. Nico said nothing.

Nozomi looked outside at the snowy landscape and stretched. "I think I should get going." She said, making her way out. However, she stopped at the door and looked back.

"Hang in there, Nico-chi."

When she had finally gone and the door had shut, Nico sighed and sat down on a chair. She covered her face with her hands and said one thing.

"Fuck me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This chapter was a mix of shitpost and seriousness, like most chapters, which is weird. I usually just go extreme shitpost or all seriousness. Tell me what you think.


	4. Unexpected Expectations

"Honoka!"

The school day was over, but for a certain ginger it had only just started. Like getting struck by lightning, Honoka sat up, looking around in confusion. 

"W-What's going on?" She said, groggily rubbing her eyes. 

From what she could tell, she was in the library. There were many students studying (she presumed), and others were reading to pass the time.

Speaking of time, Honoka glanced at a nearby clock, her eyes widening. It was already after school? Then why the heck was she still here?!

She was about to jump out of her seat, but was stopped by a cough coming from the seat across from her. Looking up, Honoka froze.

Umi sat there, tapping her finger impatiently. "Are you awake now?" She said in a frighteningly calm manner. 

Honoka stared at her friend, realization dawning on her. 

"I'm sorry, Umi-chan! I fell asleep again!" The ginger bowed her head, almost slamming it into the table. "I didn't get a lot of sleep is all!" 

Umi rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Yes I know, Honoka. It was because we were up all night studying for the test today." 

Honoka smiled proudly, holding up her barely passing test grade. "Well it was worth it, right?" 

The bluenette didn't have the energy to glare, instead resorting to a sigh. "I would prefer if you had gotten a grade better than the worst in class for once." 

Honoka laughed, albeit nervously. "So why are we here again?" She said timidly after a moment of silence. 

"Hey, Honoka-chan, Umi-chan!"

Before Umi could explode, they were interrupted by another cheerful ginger. 

"Rin-chan! What are you doing here?"   
Honoka exclaimed, forgetting about her childhood friend and the question she had asked.

Umi looked up as well, noticing that the redhead from the day before was there as well, looking rather uncomfortable. 

Rin smiled, either not noticing her companions state, or choosing not to. "I was just showing Maki-san the way to the library." 

She turned to redhead. "These two can help if you can't get back to the dorms." 

Umi didn't know what it was, but with the fight the day before and the way Rin was talking to the new girl, it was obvious they didn't particularly like each other. 

"Aww, you have to go already? I'm sick of studying, let's play games," Honoka pouted, grabbing Rin's arm.

Rin chuckled, looking at Umi before smiling apologetically. "I would rather not have to face the wrath of Umi-chan." 

Umi smiled. "That's a wise decision." 

The three laughed, and Rin bid them farewell.

"I think we should get back to it. Right, Honoka?" Umi said, all traces of a joke gone from her voice. 

"Ugh..."

Honoka began to sulk back to her seat, and it was then that Umi felt someone tap on her shoulder. To her surprise, it was Maki, Rin's new roommate. 

The redhead's face was a shade of red, and her eyes were nervously darting around. "U-Um, do you mind if I study with you two? I-I mean, I just need to catch up on my work." 

Umi tilted her head. 

This was not what she expected. Umi was never one to judge a book by its cover, but Rin had made it abundantly clear how much she didn't like the redhead. It was kind of surprising.

"Sure, I have no problem with that. I could help you if you need help as well." Umi said with a smile. The redhead sighed in relief, and Umi took it upon herself to see what exactly made her so bad.

The three sat there for nearly an hour, Maki quietly and peacefully studying, while Umi struggled to somehow tell Honoka the easiest ways to do the work. 

After years of tutoring the ginger, Umi found that the easiest way to help her was to find the quickest solution. But even that was exhausting. 

Deciding to take a break, Umi sighed, resting her head on the table. Honoka had immediately bolted from the room, saying that she was going to grab something to eat. 

Now that they were alone, Umi noticed that Maki was obviously not thinking about her work. Instead, her mind seemed to be somewhere else. For the next 5 minutes, the redhead simply stared at her paper, her pencil not moving. 

Finally, Umi decided to speak up.

"Is something bothering you, Nishikino-san?"

Jolting with a start, Maki looked up, surprised. "W-What?" Umi raised an eyebrow, and the redhead cringed due to her somewhat hostile tone. 

"S-Sorry..." Maki muttered, ruefully rubbing the back of her head. "Um, I was just thinking.." She trailed off.

"About your problem with Rin-chan?" Umi asked, grinning when the redhead's face turned a shade of red. 

"I-I don't hate her...." Maki's voice was barely audible.

"But she's not making it easy to apologize." She sat up and glared at the table. "Every time I try to, she just has to act all bitchy!" 

Umi coughed, and Maki realized that she had raised her voice, and clamped her hand over her mouth. 

"....Well, how do you react when she acts that way to you?" Umi said, speaking softly. 

"Obviously I....." Maki trailed off, and Umi smiled. Maki wasn't very honest, was she? 

"To put it bluntly, I don't think responding in a "bitchy" way will put her a good mood either."

Maki opened her mouth to protest, but realized that she couldn't really say anything.

Umi stretched, glancing at the clock. "I know it isn't much, but if you at least try to tolerate her, I'm sure she will do the same." 

She began packing her stuff up, giving Maki time to think. 

Umi looked up and glared at Honoka's seat. Sighing, she finished putting her stuff away, standing up. 

"Want to head back to the dorms?" She asked, tapping Maki's shoulder lightly. The redhead jumped, then tilting her head in confusion. "What about your friend?"

"I think she's already done with her work for today." Umi chuckled dryly. At least she didn't have to carry Honoka's stuff. 

Maki hesitated for a moment, nodding nervously. After grabbing some books for later, the two were off.

 

-  
Nico stared at the ceiling, curled up into a ball of depression. For two days she had isolated herself in her room, Kotori bringing in the work that she had missed. It was freezing. Why was it freezing? Wasn't the heat on? 

Glancing at the clock, Nico sighed. The school day was over. Had Nozomi told everyone about what had happened?

Ugh. Nozomi.

The girl she had only met yesterday had not only heard her blabber complete nonsense (which was a one time thing, okay?), but she had also witnessed something Nico would rather not remember.

Nico bit her lip and buried her head under her blanket. She would have stayed there forever, but a distant knock brought her out of her depression.

She jumped out of bed, looking around frantically. Was Kotori home? No she had the key. Then who the hell was it? Should she just stay in bed and ignore it? No that would be rude. Nico was a lot of things, but she wasn't rude.

Nico tiptoed to the door timidly, hoping that it was someone like Rin. She was tolerable. If anything she was a close friend.

However, when she opened the door, Nico had wished that she had stayed in bed. Or died. Either one would've been better than this.

"Are you feeling okay, Nico-chan?" 

Eli stood in the doorway with a concerned smile. In her hand was a box of cookies, and next to her was...

Nico's carefully concealed look of disgust quickly turned into surprise, and then into embarrassment. The purple haired woman from before waved with a grin.

"W-W-What are you doing here?" Nico tried to keep her composure, looking away with her arms crossed. 

I was just a little worried about you," Eli said, her smile unwavering. "Do you mind if I come in?" 

Before Nico could protest, she froze, noticing the look on Nozomi's face. 

"Uhhhh.." 

She was making some kind of strange face. Was she, pouting? Instead of what you'd assume a pout to be (cute, something that might make you give in to a suggestion/idea), Nozomi looked like she had eaten a sour grape. 

Or she had seen Persona 5 the Animation, which was a major disappointment compared to the game. Anyway, it was making Nico uncomfortable.

"F-Fine.." she said finally, opening the door for the two to enter. 

Either way, Nozomi's weird face had served the same purpose as a pout. Though Nico hoped to never see that ever again.

Eli smiled gratefully, and Nozomi grinned slyly. As the two entered, Nico sighed and shut the door. She wished Kotori was here. The younger girl could at least fake a smile. Though the more pressing issue was...

"W-Would you like something to eat or drink?" Nico forced a happy tone, heading to the kitchen.

"Actually-"

"Sure, I'd love to have some of Nico-chi's home cooking!" 

Before Eli could politely refuse, Nozomi cut her off, her signature grin on her face. Nico twitched slightly, but complied and opened the fridge. 

It had been a while since she had last cooked, the last time being for her siblings during the new year. It wasn't like she couldn't, but Nico was feeling slightly under the weather. 

Instead of actually putting forth effort, she quickly grabbed some, I don't know, bread. Deciding that she should at least be a little polite, Nico fixed some tea as well. 

This all took like 5 minutes, and with a smug smile Nico set the tea and bread down on the table.

To her disappointment Eli smiled gratefully, Nozomi doing the same after a quick sip of tea. Well, it wasn't like she needed to prepare a 5 star meal after all. 

Realizing that they weren't going to leave any time soon, Nico sat down at the table and reached for the cookies. Taking a bite, her eyes widened in surprise. Were these homemade? Now that she looked closer the box didn't seem to come from a store.

Nico felt her heart tighten, but quickly coughed to get rid of the feeling. 

"We've missed you in class," Eli said after the peaceful moment had passed. "Besides, I felt kind of bad for making you help with all my work." 

Nico covered her face with her hand to conceal a blush. She wasn't used to this. "I-It was nothing. I offered to help, so it's no problem," Nico mumbled.

They were rivals! Why were they eating cookies and being best buds? 

"Say, Nico-chi, do you have a roommate?" 

In the time that the two were talking, Nozomi had wandered around the apartment. She was looking at everything curiously, careful not to mess with anything too much.

"Uh, yeah. She's out right now." Nico shifted in her chair. Nozomi nodded, her attention already elsewhere. 

"Is she always like this?" Nico turned back to Eli. When she had first run into Nozomi, she had expected her to be more withdrawn. Or more indirect. 

As if expecting this question, Eli smiled. "Well, she tends to be a little pushy when it comes to wanting to make friends." 

"Huh..."

Did that mean Nozomi wanted to be her friend? Dismissing that thought, Nico shook her head and nibbled on a cookie absentmindedly. 

"I thought she'd be more, I don't know, reserved." Like Eli, Nico thought. 

The blonde laughed, and Nico realized that she had spoken aloud. 

"Sorry! I didn't mean to sound rude."

Eli shook her head, stifling a giggle. "No, it's fine. Nozomi actually has a shy side to her, believe it or not."

"Hey, you better not be making fun of me!" Before Nico could say anything else, Nozomi had reappeared, pouting (or, you know, attempting to). 

Seeing this, Eli burst out into laughter, and Nico couldn't help but crack a smile herself. 

"Hey, stop laughing!" 

"I-I'm sorry, b-but you just look so, so-" Eli couldn't contain her laughter, and began clutching her sides. 

As the watched the two, Nico realized something. This was the first time that she had actually talked to Eli. This was the first time she had invited anyone over besides Rin. 

Nico felt something unexplainable. 

And as Eli doubled over in laughter, Nico soon found herself laughing along with her. Nozomi's pout was replaced with a grin, and she joined them in their amusement. 

In the end, Nico felt just a little warmer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings! I'm here to explain the reason for my long hiatus. i haven't updated for exactly 2 months (according to Ao3) due to personal problems. Sadly, school is becoming busy so my hiatus must continue. On another note, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I may update once in a while, so stay tuned!


	5. Hangovers and Things Best Left Forgotten (Unexpected Friendship)

"Ughhh.." 

Rin groaned as she woke up, clutching her head. A quick look around told her that she was in some kind of room, but... 

Actually never mind, because it was awfully bright, and she felt as if her head was going to explode. 

"God...." 

She shut her eyes for a moment, trying to stop her head from throbbing. What had happened last night? She remembered returning from the library, and then Maki came home...

Ah, of course, Maki. Her insufferable roommate who she absolutely hated. The one person whom she despised with a passion. The person who-

It was at this moment that Rin saw something that would forever be burned into her eyes. 

Next to her in bed was Maki Nishikino. And she was naked. 

Rin felt like throwing up. Either from the hangover, or the fact that she was had slept with her roommate. Maybe both.

The weight of what had happened dawned on her, and Rin sprinted out of bed and dashed into the restroom.

And threw up.

 

-  
"Ah, Nishikino-san, you're looking a little under the weather." 

By "under the weather," Umi meant "absolutely terrible."

When she had decided to wait and walk with Maki to class that day, Umi didn't expect the redhead to be, well, most obviously hungover.

There were bags under her eyes, she was squinting as if she was staring at the sun, and her hair was an awful mess. It looked like Maki had fought a bear.

Umi only drank in moderation, so something like a hangover never occurred. Though frequently nursing Honoka did happen.

"Yeah..." Maki grumbled. 

"An eventful night?" Umi asked, handing her a water bottle and starting on her way to class. 

Maki followed, taking gulps of water before answering. 

"I don't remember, but I woke up in my bed dressed, so I probably didn't do anything too crazy." 

Umi nodded wordlessly. 

It had been nearly two weeks since Maki had started school, so Umi had to wonder what exactly the younger girl had been doing. 

Party? She wasn't too popular so that was out of the picture. Maybe she got into a fight with Rin. That would make sense. Speaking of....

"Is Rin-chan not coming?" Umi asked.

They were already outside, so there was no point in going back anyway. She was just curious.

"Probably not, she didn't answer when I knocked on her door," Maki replied, too busy trying to nurse her aching head to care. 

Huh. Maybe Rin did have something to do with this.

Umi didn't have much time to think about it as the two were soon approaching Maki's class. 

The younger girl stopped and turned towards Umi, looking down bashfully. "Um, thanks for walking with me. And uh, for the water." 

Umi smiled. Maki was nice. Like a more composed Honoka. By a large margin of course.

Speaking of...

Umi glanced at her phone. Honoka was probably still asleep. 

She sighed. Usually she would spend time trying to wake her childhood friend up, but now that she had decided to walk to class with Maki she didn't have much time to spare. 

Making her way back to the dorm, Umi smiled. 

She could stand to be late every once and a while.

 

-  
"Ughhhhh.."

The day was over, and Rin was in the cafeteria. 

She had a lot on her mind. The blizzard wasn't going away for at least another week, meaning her favorite ramen shop was still closed.

Her hangover had subsided, but Rin still felt like throwing up. The thought of what she had done was still fresh, and every time she remembered she felt even sicker. 

"Well you look absolutely pitiful."

Before she could moan in pain once more, Rin heard an amused voice and turned to see one of her best friends. 

"Nico-chan..."

Despite looking very much the same (extremely cynical and tired), there was something different about her...

"You look happier than usual," Rin said, forgetting about her pain momentarily. Nico looked confused, sitting down next to her. "Do I?" 

"Well you're outside of your room for once."

Nico shrugged, but a faint smile rested on her lips. "Anyway, what's wrong with you?"

"Ugh." The pain returned. "Don't remind me." 

Nico snorted. "From the way you're talking it probably has something to do with your roommate."

Rin shrugged, nursing her head in her hands. To this the older girl sighed. "I really think you should try talking to her again. Try to be friends." 

Rin raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you care about my relationships?" Usually Nico would shrug or strongly say that she didn't care. 

"Since now. So stop changing the subject and get your ass out there." 

"Ugh." 

No use complaining.

Rin grabbed her phone and quickly texted her roommate. To her dismay, Maki was already home. 

With a sigh, Rin stood up and grabbed her bag. "Guess I'll get going then." 

Nico waved, not looking up from her phone. 

Seems like she was back to normal now.

 

-  
Rin was confronted much earlier than she imagined.

Deciding to take the longest detour to the dorms, she had encountered Maki. And much to her disbelief, the redhead had decided to talk to her. 

Considering her long walk to the dorms, it was only the two alone, making this only more painful for her. 

Instead of, you know, avoiding eye contact and pretending they hadn't seen each other like Rin was trying to do. 

Well, Rin still averted her eyes, the events from the morning still fresh in her mind. The only comfort she had was the large window occupying the hall they were in, showing a gorgeous view of the snow. 

Rin prepared herself for the usual start of an argument but instead, Maki merely sighed.

"Did you have a good day?" 

After an extremely awkward silence, Maki spoke up. Instinctively, Rin opened her mouth, about to spit back a retort. However, she stopped herself, realizing that the redhead was actually trying to be nice, albeit in a strange way.

"....It could've been worse." She said, ruefully rubbing the back of her head.

"That's good." Maki replied, a small smile on her face. 

Another silence followed, and Rin couldn't help but feel that this one was more comfortable. "I'm sorry. About being so rude, I guess." Rin decided that if Maki of all people tried to make an effort, so should she.

A light tint of pink painted Maki's face, and she looked away. "Y-Yeah....and I'm sorry for being such a..bitch.."

Rin chuckled. So she was self aware. 

"H-Hey! I'm apologizing here!" Maki pouted, her blush now in full bloom. 

"Sorry." Rin smiled. It was strange, unlike before Maki didn't truly seem angry at her. And Rin didn't feel like confronting her about it. 

The snow fell, and the two began walking back to the dorms. And for once, there was no arguing, something Rin was extremely grateful for. 

Though in the end, she figured she wouldn't be able to look directly at Maki for a long while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in less than a month?? Who am I?? Anyway, this chapter was shorter and kind sets up time for other characters. Uhhhh enjoy and I'll post someday.


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